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Our history

Vikan was founded in 1898 by A. P. Pedersen, who was raised just a few kilometres from our present headquarters here in Denmark. As part of a farming family who consumed the fruits of their own labour round the table after work, Pedersen had an instinctive awareness about the importance and value of hygiene.

Over the subsequent decades, Vikan grew, went international and moved into exciting new business areas. But hygienic cleaning in the food and beverages industry has always remained our core focus.

120 years’ anniversary

This year marks the 120th year we’ve been in business. To celebrate the occasion, we have reached back into the archives for stories thatilluminate some of the major themes and waypoints that have marked our journey thus far. Follow the links below to read these stories and,we hope, gain insight into how the past 120 years have helped shape who we are today.

A material difference

We talk a lot aboutdesignat Vikan, partly because our design advances have moved hygienic cleaning forward – repeatedly. Less told is the story of thematerialsthat comprise our cleaning tools. These materials provide a whole new perspective on Vikan’s history.

Innovation before it was innovation

For many of us at Vikan, the most fascinating part of our founder’s memoir, is his account of the process he followed in developing the first Vikan cleaning tools. Why “fascinating”? Because it so closely resembles our approach to innovation today.

People versus technology?

Not at Vikan. Our company has always been a pioneer in both cutting-edge technologiesanda modern, humanistic view of human labour. Read our founder’s thoughts on “the worker”, and you might discover a thing or two about why we at Vikan are the way we are.